Lord, We Thy Will Obey in Tonic Solfa
Lord, We Thy Will Obey in Tonic Solfa to ST. JOHN (PARISH CHOIR), doh is D: the solfa with the words, staff notation, 4 verses and a piano.
The solfa with the words
| dLord,- | mwe-mthy-swill-so-- | d'bey,-----d'And- |
| tin-lthy-splea--fesure- | srest;-----sWe,- |
| lon--tly-d'we,-lcan- | ssay,-----s"What-- |
| fev--mer-ris,-ris- | dbest;"-----dJoy-- |
| dful-rto-mmeet,-dwill-- | ming-fto-spart,-sCon-- |
| lvinced-twe-d'still-d'are- | r'one---tin--- |
| d'heart.------- |
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- Key
- D major
- Doh
- D
- Time
- 4/4
- Starts on
- d (D)
- Range
- d to r' (D to E, a ninth)
- Tune
- ST. JOHN (PARISH CHOIR)
- Words
- Charles Wesley
- Music
- Parish Choir
Tune ST. JOHN (PARISH CHOIR) (Parish Choir); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788). Sources and licences.
The solfa line by line
The same solfa as plain text, a line of the hymn at a time, with the words of the first verse under it — easy to copy into your own notes or a message to the choir. To print it, download the solfa as a PDF.
Doh is D · 4/4
Staff notation
The melody on the treble staff in D major, with the first verse under the notes.
The staff is drawn here when you scroll to it.
The words
Lord, we thy will obey,
And in thy pleasure rest;
We, only we, can say,
"Whatever is, is best;"
Joyful to meet, willing to part,
Convinced we still are one in heart.
Hereby we sweetly know
Our love proceeds from thee,
We let each other go,
From every creature free;
And cry, in answer to thy call,
"Thou art, O Christ, our all in all!"
Our Husband, Brother, Friend,
Our Counsellor divine!
Thy chosen ones depend
On no support but thine:
Our everlasting Comforter!
We cannot want, if thou art here.
Still let us, gracious Lord,
Sit loose to all below;
And to thy love restored,
No other portion know;
Stand fast in glorious liberty,
And live and die wrapped up in thee!
How to sing it from the solfa
- Find doh first. Play or hum D and sing d r m f s up from it, so the whole choir has the key in their ears before you start.
- Pitch the first note. The tune starts on d (D), on the word “Lord”, as a pickup before the first full bar.
- Count the time. 4/4 means four crotchet beats in each bar. In the grid every cell is half a crotchet: a dash (–) holds the note before it, and _ is a rest.
- Know the notes. The tune uses d r m f s l t and the chromatic fe. A comma after a note (s,) is the octave below; an apostrophe (d') is the octave above.
New to solfa? Read how to read Tonic Solfa and how to find the doh of a song.
About the hymn
Charles Wesley wrote these words. His brother John printed them in A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists (1780), hymn 533.
The book printed the words without tunes. They are in Hallelujah Metre (6.6.6.6.8.8), and this page sets them to ST. JOHN (PARISH CHOIR); any other Hallelujah Metre tune fits them as well.
- Words: Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
- Melody (1851): Parish Choir
Tune ST. JOHN (PARISH CHOIR) (Parish Choir); words by Charles Wesley (1707–1788).
Sung to the same tune: Arise, My Soul, Arise, Blow Ye the Trumpet, Blow, Borne on the Wings of Light, By Whom Was David Taught, Come to the Christ in Tears, Death Moves with Victor's Tread, In Loud, Exalted Strains, O Light That Knew No Dawn, Supported by the Word, Th’ Atoning Work Is Done, The Church a Garden Is, The Wealth of High Estate, Thou, Infinite in Love, Thy Works, Not Mine, O Christ, To Thee, Great Source of Light, What Contradictions Meet, When at Thy Feet, Oppressed.
Questions about Lord, We Thy Will Obey
What is the doh of Lord, We Thy Will Obey?
In this version, in D major, doh is D. If your choir sings it in another key, doh moves to the new key note and every solfa syllable stays the same — that is what movable doh means.
What note does Lord, We Thy Will Obey start on?
It starts on d (D in D major), a pickup on the word “Lord” before the first full bar. Find doh first, then sing up or down to d.
Is Lord, We Thy Will Obey in the public domain?
Yes. Charles Wesley died in 1788; the words were in print by 1780 and the music in 1851. Everyone named died before 1955 and both were published before 1929, so the hymn is out of copyright in the UK, the EU, the United States and Nigeria. Modern arrangements and translations can still be under copyright.